


Vicissitudes

by carolinecrane



Category: Newsies (1992)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-10
Updated: 2011-12-10
Packaged: 2017-10-27 04:33:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/291670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/pseuds/carolinecrane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack knows things change, but he doesn't have to like it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vicissitudes

The funny thing about life was that it just kept on, no matter how much Jack wanted things to stay the same. Once they brought down Pulitzer everything was perfect for awhile; he and David were still partners, he still had the rest of the boys, and he guessed Santa Fe could wait awhile. There was still stuff to do in New York, after all, like helping the sweatshop kids organize their own union, and making sure Denton got the coverage right in the papers.

But things changed, and when David's father got better and found another job, his parents made him and Les go back to school. It was no surprise; David was always too good to stay a newsie, and they all knew he'd leave eventually. Besides, Jack had worked alone for a long time before he showed up, so losing his partner wasn't such a big deal.

That was what he told himself, anyway, just like he told himself not to expect David to come around anymore. He made all kinds of promises, sure, but he'd have school work and school friends and a family that wanted him around, and he wouldn't have time for Jack. No skin off my nose, Jack told the boys when they asked after David, and most of the time he meant it.

But he stopped going around to David's place, even to see Sarah, because he didn't want David to think Jack missed him and feel bad about leaving their partnership in the lurch. And it was for the best, really; Sarah was nice and all, but she didn't belong with a guy like him. Just like her brother was better than the rest of them, and it wouldn't take them long to forget they ever knew Jack Kelly.

Still, he missed having somebody around on the slow days, when the papes weren't moving and the businessmen in their fancy duds acted like he was invisible. He missed having Les around to look cute and kinda pathetic, to draw in the ladies with husbands to coerce into buying a pape from a little kid on the street. But mostly he just missed the company, and he walked a little slower on his way back to The World to sell back his leftover papes.

When he got close to home he picked up his pace a little, wiped the glum expression off his face so none of the boys would guess that he'd been moping. They all missed David and Les too, he could tell, but that didn't mean they needed to see him moaning about it.

He turned the corner and caught sight of Racetrack, raising a hand in greeting when Racetrack grinned at him. Except Racetrack wasn't looking at him, and when he called out to someone behind Jack, he felt a funny little fluttering in his chest.

"Hiya, Davey," Racetrack said, clapping Jack on the shoulder and gesturing behind him. "Would you look at that, Cowboy? Davey missed us so much he couldn't stay away."

Jack turned around in time to see David grin self-consciously, stealing a quick glance at Jack before he turned back to Racetrack. "Just thought I'd say hello," he said, reaching out to grasp the hand Racetrack held out.

"Sure, sure," Racetrack said, letting go of David's hand to jostle Jack. "Hear that, Cowboy? He just `thought he'd say hello'. He's sounding all hoity toity and educated already."

"Lay off," Jack said, but he had a feeling he was grinning like an idiot, and he couldn't take his eyes off David. "Who'd miss seeing your ugly mug anyway? Beat it."

"All right, all right," Racetrack said. "I can take a hint. Don't be such a stranger, hey, Davey?"

"Yeah, I'll try," David answered, glancing at Racetrack long enough to wave goodbye. And he looked kind of nervous, but he'd always looked kind of nervous, so Jack couldn't tell if he was imagining things or not.

"So how you been, Davey?" he asked when Racetrack was gone, digging in his pocket for a smoke. He watched David over the top of the match while he lit his cigarette, then he blew out the match and tossed it on the cobblestones.

David shrugged and looked away, glancing down the alley like maybe he was waiting for somebody to interrupt them. And it was bound to happen if they stayed here, so Jack nodded toward the street, and just like that David followed. Like nothing had changed between them, like they could still communicate without talking the way they had back when they were really in the rhythm of hustling papes together.

For awhile neither of them said anything, but finally David glanced over at him. "You don't come around anymore."

Jack shrugged and dropped his cigarette, grinding it out with his heel. "Figured you had better things to do these days than hang around somebody like me."

"I thought maybe you left town," David said, and now Jack understood why he'd showed up. He was making sure Jack hadn't up and left without telling him. And he'd thought about it a few times, but it was nice to know David would miss him if he did.

"Nope," he answered, grinning when David looked at him again.

"Les asks about you."

And that wasn't fair, because Jack did miss Les. He was a good kid, and he had a lot of fight in him. In a lot of ways he was a better newsie than David ever was, but he wasn't the one Jack missed the most. Not that he was planning to admit that. "Yeah? Tell him I say hi."

When they reached the bridge David stopped and leaned against the railing, staring out at the water. Jack stopped next to him, back pressed against the railing near David's elbow. He wasn't touching, but he could feel David next to him, and it was...nice. Only David was going to leave again, and then Jack was going to have to get over him all over again.

"Listen," David said, still not looking at Jack, and now he was sure that David was nervous. "Did you stop coming around because of my sister?"

"No," Jack said, and it was the truth. Sarah didn't really have much to do with anything in the end, and he felt kind of bad about it, but not bad enough to try to make it up to her. "Look, we had a good run, right? But your dad's right, you're too smart to be running papes when you can be in school learning stuff. I just figured I'd be in the way."

"I thought we were friends."

"We were. We are," Jack answered, but when he grinned this time it was a little shaky. "If I'd known you were gonna get all mushy about it I would have stopped by."

David laughed at that, but it sounded sort of hollow and Jack knew he didn't buy it. He was too smart to fall for most of Jack's lines, and that was the thing Jack had always liked most about him.

"Most friends don't just disappear for no reason."

And he had a point, but the thing was, David knew where to find him. He knew exactly where Jack was most days, because he used to be right there next to him. He was the one who'd gone and gotten a whole new life, who'd left Jack and the rest of them behind. But Jack didn't want to fight about it, because David had missed him, and that was all he really cared about.

He leaned in a little, bumping David's shoulder with his own and giving him a real smile this time. "Okay, so I was a jerk. If I say I'm sorry can we kiss and make up?"

David ducked his head to hide a smile, but Jack saw it anyway. His chest did that weird fluttery thing again and he leaned even closer, pressing their shoulders together. "Geez, Davey, if you missed me so much you coulda come to see me anytime. I'm not going anywhere."

"Are you sure about that?" David asked, and he was smiling, but Jack knew he meant it. The truth was he hadn't really thought that much about it since the strike ended, but he nodded anyway.

"Positive."

"Good," David said, pressing back against his shoulder and if Jack turned just a little bit they'd be less than six inches apart. And it was weird, but it felt kind of nice too. Familiar, almost, even though Jack had never thought about kissing David before.

"I do miss you, you know," David said, still staring out at the water like he was afraid to look at Jack. Jack grinned anyway, shifting just enough to look at David.

"Yeah, well, you don't hafta anymore," he said, and when David looked up at him, Jack leaned over and pressed their lips together. He wasn't sure it was the right thing to do; they were friends, sure, and they'd been partners for awhile, but this was a whole different ball of wax. Still, it felt like the right thing to do, and when he pulled away and saw David's expression he was pretty sure he hadn't ruined anything.

When David smiled this time it was kind of shy, and it made Jack want to lean in and kiss him again. But they were out in the open where anyone could spot them, so instead Jack grinned and pushed himself off the bridge. "We square?"

"Yeah." When David straightened up Jack slid an arm around his shoulders, steering him back down the street in the direction of David's neighborhood. And he missed working together every day, but they were still partners, and that was enough for Jack.


End file.
